march-2012

WORDS LAURA DIXON | PHOTO © ISTOCKPHOTO | MAP ILLUSTRATION © JASON PICKERSGILL/ACUTEGRAPHICS.CO.UK
GETTING
AROUND
Reykjavik may be the most northerly
capital city in the world, but in size
terms it’s more like a town. It’s easy to
walk everywhere, but you may want
a car to explore natural attractions
just outside the city, like the mineralrich
Blue Lagoon, which is just a
45-minute drive away.
THE OLD HARBOUR
Here you’ll fi nd whale-watching trips
(hvalalif.is) guaranteeing a 100%
success rate – or a free trip if not –
plus an excellent fi sh-and-chip café
(fi shandchips.is).
HALLGRÍMSKIRKJA
The city’s strange church is sculpted
in the form of an erupting volcano and
THE OLD HARBOUR
NATIONAL MUSEUM
1944
Iceland becomes an
independent republic
on 17 June, now
celebrated as National
Day, with a parade in
Reykjavik and parties in
the streets.
LAUGAVEGUR
REYKJAVIK
1958
Start of the Cod Wars
with Britain, which last
until the late 1970s.
Iceland ultimately
extends its national
waters to 200 miles
from the island.
has a statue of Viking
explorer Leifur Eiriksson outside it
(sacred-destinations.com).
LAUGARDALUR
A walk or short bus ride from the
centre, this green space has a small
zoo, sculpture museum, botanical
garden and Laugar Spa (laugarspa.is),
the city’s largest spa.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF
ICELAND
Learn all about this nation in its
interactive museum with exhibits
on Celtic and Viking history, strange
fi sh-eating habits and two pagan
burials in the fl oor (thjodminjasafn.is).
LAUGAVEGUR
By day, the main shopping street
is great for browsing (but mind the
eye-watering prices!); by night, it’s the
place for a casual meal or a bar crawl.
LAUGARDALUR
HALLGRÍMSKIRKJA
1980
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
is elected as Iceland’s
fi rst female president.
The country embraces
feminism (and bans
strip clubs and lap
dancing in 2010).
N
600m
2008
Iceland’s three largest
banks crash with a
combined debt of six
times the nation’s GDP.
Three years later, the
government collapses
due to public dissent.
FEATURES | REYKJAVIK
LOCAL FOOD
You can get a burger anywhere,
so when you’re in Iceland,
why not take your taste buds
on a trip too? Actually, you
can’t really get a burger here:
McDonald’s left in 2009 after
the country was plunged into
fi nancial crisis and the price of
a Big Mac rose to 650 ISK (€4),
Since then, traditional food has
made a comeback.
This means two things:
delicious lobster, cod, salmon
and lamb from the nearby
sea, rivers and pastures; and
some more unusual stuff , like
boiled sheep’s head, seabirds’
eggs, grilled puffi n and hákarl
(Greenland shark), a foulsmelling,
peculiarly textured
delicacy washed down with
Brennivín, the harsh local spirit.
Originally, hákarl was made
by burying the shark for two
months while it slowly “cured”,
then unearthing it and leaving it
to hang for up to four months.
These days, they store it in
Tupperware rather burying
it, but not much else changes.
It’s still a dish that only the
bravest of locals – or visitors
– give a try.
2010
A small volcano under
the Eyjafj allajökull
glacier erupts in April.
The ensuing ash cloud
disrupts fl ights across
Europe for the next few
months.
TRAVELLER | 55